Sasuke finally gets his arm!

Chapter 69: When I'm older I'll be moving onward

Though Hinata had done her best to muffle any sound — quietly padding into the kitchen on slippered feet, softly opening and shutting cupboards, delicately spooning out the rice — it was all for naught.

A strong arm wrapped around her waist, a line of heat blanketing her back and a pointed chin nestling into the crown of her head. Hinata leaned into Sasuke even as she continued to fill two sets of bowls with steaming hot rice that she'd reheated on the stovetop.

"I was going to cook," Sasuke chided. His voice was rough from sleep, too lethargic for Hinata to take the scolding seriously.

As Hinata had been working through numerous sealing ceremonies, Sasuke had wordlessly taken it upon himself to take as much else off her hands as possible. He could be a bit clunky about it and Hinata felt a pang in her heart when she thought of why that may be.

Sasuke hadn't had anyone to take care of but himself for a long time.

And he had never chosen to be kind to himself.

But Sasuke's kindness and effort were all the sweeter to Hinata for their clumsiness. So although Hinata too felt the urge to return that care when Sasuke himself was busy with the Uchiha district and often suffering from the aftereffects of appointments for his arm, she held herself back.

If the satisfied look he got when he did something for her was anything to go by, perhaps Hinata was taking care of Sasuke simply by letting herself be taken care of.

But today was an exception.

"I thought it would be nice if you could rest. You'll need your strength after all," Hinata said. She sprinkled furikake, bonito flakes and scallions into each bowl and then plated a handful of cherry tomatoes all while Sasuke clung onto her from behind. "Besides, it's a lazy breakfast," she reasoned. When Hinata shuffled over to retrieve two brown eggs, holding one up higher than the other, Sasuke finally released her.

Rather than immediately taking the offering, Sasuke first dipped down to steal a kiss from Hinata's lips.

Cheeks flushed, it took Hinata several seconds to realize one of her hands was empty. Turning to look at him, Hinata only caught the edge of a smirk as he stepped away.

Right there at the counter, they both cracked their eggs on the edges of their respective bowls, yolks and whites pouring cleanly atop the waiting rice. Then, moving in sync, they rapidly whisked the contents with their chopsticks, the hot rice cooking the raw egg into a silky consistency. The delicious fragrance of tamago gohan filled Sasuke's small kitchen.

"Itadakimasu."

They ate silently standing up. The plate of cherry tomatoes was emptied almost exclusively by Sasuke up until the last two which he deposited into Hinata's bowl. Hinata ate them obediently and then finished off the rest of her rice under Sasuke's watchful eyes. Once she was done, Sasuke took charge of cleaning up. Hinata bit back a protest, leaning back against the counter and watching the flex of Sasuke's forearm as he worked.

"It's your first day off in a while. What do you want to do?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata blinked, eyes trailing up his arm where it disappeared under the soft fabric of his heather blue t-shirt. He'd undoubtedly put that on for her benefit. The first time he'd strode out into the kitchen shirtless, Hinata had been unable to maintain eye contact or conversation. By the time her eyes met his, Sasuke had turned away from the sink, a neat stack of washed dishes on the drying rack. His mismatched eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Um?" Hinata blushed.

"We still have a few hours until we have to go to the hospital. And Sakura said the procedure would only take an hour, maybe two," Sasuke said.

Hinata's eyes lit up in understanding. "It's your first day off too," she pointed out. Just as she'd cleared the day of any sealing ceremonies, Sasuke wouldn't be participating in any construction efforts today. "Would you want to still stop by the Uchiha district?

Sasuke was quick to shut it down. "Kiba's got it handled. Says he's on track to have all of the buildings renovated before he leaves. As for the rest…" He raked a frustrated hand through his hair.

Hinata made a soft sound, moving closer and wrapping her arms around his waist. Sasuke sighed, slumping into her. "Do you…want to postpone the trip?" she asked.

Sasuke sighed, his breath ruffling Hinata's bangs. "No…" He paused for a moment and then admitted, "I've been thinking of putting someone in charge. To handle the finishing touches and organizing the free housing, leasing out units to shopkeepers, setting up a rehab clinic for retired ninja…"

Hinata ran her hands up Sasuke's back, bracketing his spine and stopping at his shoulder blades. Sasuke hummed, the sound vibrating through his back against Hinata's palms.

"Ino or Sakura would be the best," Sasuke said. Then, as if needing to negate any positive sentiment, he added, "They're both bossy enough." More seriously, he said, "But Ino would bankrupt me, wasting money on impractical things. And Sakura would find a hundred inefficiencies, rewrite my plans and make it her own vision."

Taking this in, Hinata massaged her fingertips into Sasuke's back soothingly. "What if…you didn't need to rely on just one person? Shino-kun is good at managing finances, he always keeps track of things for our team, he might be able to help with budgeting at least?"

Sasuke made a considering sound. "If Shino was willing to manage the budget, Ino and Sakura could take care of the planning — they're good at keeping each other in check."

An image of twelve-year-old Ino and Sakura fighting over Sasuke crossed Hinata's mind, each keeping the other away from him. Hiding a smile in Sasuke's shirt, Hinata wondered if he was thinking of the same thing. She let Sasuke continue to mull it over, keeping herself occupied with tangling her fingers in Sasuke's shirt.

Eventually she felt Sasuke nudging his head against hers. "You didn't answer my question."

"Hm?" Hinata tilted her head back, nose brushing against Sasuke's chin.

"About what you want to do." Sasuke's eyes were half-lidded as he stared down at her.

"Um. Anything is fine," Hinata said with a light shrug, careful not to dislodge herself from their embrace.

Sasuke groaned deep in his throat, displeased.

Giggling, Hinata pressed herself closer into Sasuke's firm chest. "Sorry. I just mean that…as long as I can spend today with you, that's all I want."

Mismatched eyes softened and Sasuke's lips curled into a gentle smirk. "I can do that."

After wiling away a couple hours curled up together on Sasuke's couch, it was still morning when Sasuke and Hinata left for Konoha Hospital. Sasuke's insomniac tendencies were as hard to shake as Hinata's restless sleep, but Sasuke wouldn't trade waking moments with Hinata for an improved sleep schedule.

At least not for himself. He might for Hinata's sake.

The wait at the hospital would have been irritable without Hinata's soothing presence. As it was, Sasuke refrained from making any snide comments when Sakura finally retrieved them fifteen minutes later than planned, pink hair askew.

"Sorry, you know how it is around here," Sakura said by way of explanation as she gathered her hair into a short ponytail. "I'll take you to the operating room now."

Sasuke got to his feet, Hinata following suit. Her thin fingers caught on his long-sleeved black shirt, Sasuke having changed into his standard gear.

"I'll be waiting," Hinata said softly, an encouraging smile lighting her face.

Sasuke frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sakura beat him to it.

"Actually, Hinata…" Sakura adjusted her ponytail, though there was no real need. "There's no reason you can't come. I trust you'll follow protocol and not interfere with anything. And…I'm sure Sasuke-kun would appreciate having you there." Her smile was a little tight around the edges. "Even if he'll be out for most of it," she added with a genuine, if quiet, laugh.

"Oh!" Lavender eyes widened, glancing between Sakura and Sasuke. "Is that okay?" The question was aimed at him and Sasuke didn't respond in words, instead taking her hand in his.

"Let's go," he told Sakura, impatient to get started.

Sasuke refrained from showing his discomfort as he settled on the operating table. Sakura moved around the room expertly, speaking as she went, all things Sasuke had heard before.

"The attachment will take about an hour. Then I'll wake you up and we'll go through some exercises to make sure all the nerves are properly connected and check your reflexes are good. From there, I'm going to secure the prosthetic with a sling and it will have to stay in there except for when we're doing strength training. Over the weeks, if we follow the schedule, you'll be able take it out of the sling for longer and longer until you don't need it anymore."

When she approached with a mask, Sasuke gritted his teeth, entire body tensing up. The argument they'd had over the need for anesthesia had been fraught, but Sakura had been unrelenting. Sasuke's insistence that he could handle pain had been met with an unimpressed look and a retort that any tiny flinch could ruin the procedure and that the level of excruciating pain he'd be in required the strongest general anesthetic possible.

A soft hand covering his pulled Sasuke's attention away from the silicone mask placed over half of his face. Eyes sliding to the side, Sasuke was met with Hinata's reassuring smile. He squeezed her hand, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. As he inhaled, mind growing foggier, Sasuke kept his gaze trained on Hinata's lavender pair. They were the last thing he saw before everything faded to black and his hand fell limp in her grasp.

Sasuke came to, eyelids heavy and mind muddled. Some base instinct told him to fight, that he'd been caught unawares and Orochimaru or Kabuto had successfully managed to drug his food or drink.

That had only happened once, but it was one time too many.

Every time that he'd had to consciously surrender himself to the examination table in Otogakure had been a strategic gamble. To be permitted to stay under Orochimaru's tutelage has required Sasuke to play the game and the name of the game was give and take. Give Orochimaru enough access to his body to sate his sick curiosity and take as much knowledge as Sasuke could get his hands on, both parties trying to tip the scale in their favour so they were taking more than they were giving.

Jerking up, Sasuke's right hand struck out blindly, gripping around something and squeezing. A strangled gasp vibrated under his palm and Sasuke frowned. He blinked, vision growing less blurry as feminine features and bright hair came into view.

Had Karin snuck up on him in his sleep again?

"Sasuke!" The panicked call of his name was accompanied by the scent of lavender and chamomile, a warm hand on his skin.

His brain was still functioning more on instinct than anything else, but this time that instinct was to relax his muscles. He was already releasing his grip when his right arm suddenly numbed, falling uselessly to his side.

Vision cleared, Sasuke's eyes darted between Sakura's frightened expression and Hinata's wide-eyed concern.

Stumbling back, Sakura's hands hovered over her neck protectively. She took a gasping breath, chest heaving under her white coat.

Shame and self-reproach rose up inside Sasuke. But then a gentle pair of hands cradled his cheeks, directing his attention away from the consequences of his actions.

"Sasuke, look at me. Stay with me. You're safe."

With her hands blocking off his peripheral vision, Hinata was the only thing Sasuke could see. His jackrabbit heart rate slowed.

"Hinata…" His voice sounded raw to his own ears, throat protesting from how dry it felt.

Hinata's answering smile was a feeble thing, marred by the worry evident in her eyes. "That's right. It's me. Do you know where you are?"

No longer gripped by adrenaline, Sasuke's mind finally started to catch up to reality, winning over his instincts. "The hospital," he realized. "My arm…" When he attempted to angle his head down to the left, Hinata let him. Without his usual control over his emotions, Sasuke was unable to stop from flinching at the sight of the foreign limb. Even against his pale skin, the prosthetic arm was an unnatural greyish white.

No wonder Naruto wrapped his up. It would look even more eerie against tan skin.

"Sakura." Sasuke turned back to the other kunoichi, guilt swirling around his gut again without Hinata's comforting touch to chase it away.

"I'm fine," Sakura said. "I should have expected that." She didn't seem to expect an apology, already sweeping it under the rug. Even the skin around her neck was pristine as if the attack had never happened and Sasuke understood that what he had perceived as a defensive gesture had actually been Sakura's war-time medic experience coming to the forefront, automatically healing herself. Her own type of instinct, infinitely less destructive than Sasuke's.

"…sorry."

Startled green eyes met his and softened.

"It's okay," Sakura said sincerely. "Ninja generally don't take well to being knocked out like that. They just don't normally have that kind of reaction time and power coming out of anesthesia."

Sasuke believed it. The adrenaline crash was hitting him full force, muscles aching and body heavy. Having two numb arms didn't help.

As if privy to his inner thoughts, Hinata unblocked the tenketsu in his right arm. The pinch and release was familiar to Sasuke after months of sparring, as was the lingering tingling sensation.

"Thanks." He rotated his right arm carefully. He ignored his left arm entirely, unsettled by it.

"Ready to start the exercises? Or do you need a few more minutes to adjust?"

Sasuke grimaced. "Can I get some water?" he asked, both for the sake of his parched throat and buying time.

"Yeah, give me a second," Sakura replied, circling around the table to head to the other side of the room.

Despite knowing that Sakura's disappearance from his field of vision afforded only a false sense of privacy, Sasuke took the respite. His forehead met Hinata's collarbone and he inhaled deeply.

Hinata didn't say anything, simply running her fingers through his hair soothingly.

At the sound of Sakura's approaching footsteps, Sasuke reluctantly straightened.

Holding out a paper cup, Sakura's brows jumped when it was Hinata, rather than Sasuke, who accepted. But by now Hinata and Sasuke were both well acquainted with the aftereffects of her jyuken. His right arm would be jittery for a little while. Ignoring Sakura's disbelieving stare, Sasuke drank from the cup with Hinata's help, draining it quickly.

While Hinata disposed of the empty cup, Sakura shook off the shock.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked.

What Sasuke wanted was to not have to confront the strange new attachment on his arm so quickly. But want wasn't need and so he shook his head in the negative.

At that moment, Hinata returned to his side, her thin fingers slipping naturally through his own. Sasuke immediately clasped their hands together more tightly. "Let's get this over with," he told Sakura.

The thirty-minute session dragged, Sasuke struggling through Sakura's instructions. The anesthesia fully wore off, bringing clarity to Sasuke's mind, but also pain. This was also accompanied by contrasting pangs of nausea and hunger. Sasuke focused on Hinata's hand in his, drawing strength from her presence.

Once Sakura had deemed the prosthetic had indeed been attached properly, she placed Sasuke's left arm in a sling, tightening the strap until the prosthetic was more or less pinned to Sasuke's chest. She spoke all the while, making sure Sasuke and Hinata understood each step of the process. Finally, she handed Sasuke a slip of paper.

"Don't worry, it's nothing too strong, but it should provide some relief," Sakura said.

Pocketing the prescription, Sasuke asked tiredly, "Are we done here?"

Sakura shot him a sympathetic smile. "At least for the next two days."

For his peace of mind, Sasuke chose to push that to the back of his head. He started for the exit, pulling Hinata along behind him.

Opening the door, Sasuke was greeted by a wide grin and eye-searing orange.

"Congratulations on the arm!"

Sasuke shut the door.

"Bastard?!"

"If we wait, he might go away on his own," Sasuke told Hinata, choosing to over look the barely contained amusement in her expression.

"Get out of my operating room before that idiot knocks the door down," Sakura ordered, doing nothing to hide her own amusement.

Grudgingly, Sasuke opened the door. Naruto was, unfortunately, still there.

"You're so damn rude!" Naruto complained, face screwed up in an exaggerated pout.

Sasuke sneered.

"Naruto-kun, what are you doing here?" Hinata asked kindly.

Naruto perked up, dropping the sulky façade. "It's a momentous occasion: Sasuke stopped being a stubborn jerk! It calls for a celebratory lunch!"

"No," Sasuke refused.

Naruto was undeterred. "Come on! Kakashi-sensei and Sai are waiting on us. I really held back on inviting the whole gang and I think my restraint should be rewarded! It'll just be a Team Seven thing. And Hinata-chan, of course."

"Still no."

"Hinata-chan, talk some sense into him!"

"Um."

"Pressuring Hinata isn't going to make me change my mind."

The gurgling of a stomach interrupted the back and forth. Sasuke, Hinata and Naruto all spun to face the source.

Sakura's right hand gripped her left elbow in a self-conscious gesture. "I may have skipped breakfast," she said sheepishly.

Hinata's hands clasped together at her chest. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Sakura-san," she said, worry decorating her features.

Gaze shifting from Sakura's tired form and lingering on Hinata's frowning face, Sasuke huffed out a quiet breath. "Fine." He turned to Naruto and with narrowed eyes said, "I'm having one bowl of shio ramen and that's it."

Naruto threw his arms in the air. "Yes!"

Thanks as always to everyone who continues to read

MVH